20 Something and Sublime

 Hello again! I am back with tales of another adventure. I hope at least some of you caught my pun in the title: a spin-off of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. However, while Thompson's novel takes a run at gonzo journalism to follow autobiographical incidents occurring through a drug-induced haze, our Vegas experience was a lot more contained, with a lot less drugs (i.e. just the clouds of marijuana blown in our faces while we walked down the Strip).  For Griffen's 20th birthday, my gift to him was a trip to Las Vegas to drive an Aston Martin Vantage F1 at the Speed Vegas racetrack. There was a Groupon which made the price reasonable, and I was able to book us plane tickets and the experience at the track for Griffen. I know this sounds outrageous, but this gift was planned for well in advance and meticulously budgeted; I have been saving for this trip and setting aside money for this gift for about 8 months. I actually really enjoyed budgeting my income ...

Hello again! My name is Megan Lolley, and I am an English student with a Creative Writing minor at the University of Idaho. Last semester, I completed a thesis project titled “68 Seconds: The Power of Poetics Surrounding Sexual Assault.” This project was a creative research endeavor to look into collaborative voice and included 20 poems drafted by me and inspired by the voices of survivors of sexual assault. Since the project’s completion, it has become more than simply my senior thesis. I have received a grant to turn this initiative into a fundraising campaign to support Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse (ATVP) by developing my work into a pamphlet that be distributed via sales; all revenue will be donated back to ATVP to support their mission of empowering victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and creating a safe and equitable community through education and prevention.  One of the most important aspects of this project is the involvement of community; my thes...

Hello, all! My name is Megan Lolley, and I am an English student with a Creative Writing minor at the University of Idaho. Last semester, I completed a thesis project titled “68 Seconds: The Power of Poetics Surrounding Sexual Assault.” This project was a creative research endeavor to look into collaborative voice and included 20 poems drafted by me and inspired by the voices of survivors of sexual assault. Since the project’s completion, it has become more than simply my senior thesis. I have received a grant to turn this initiative into a fundraising campaign to support Alternatives to Violence on the Palouse (ATVP) by developing my work into a pamphlet that be distributed via sales; all revenue will be donated back to ATVP to support their mission of empowering victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and creating a safe and equitable community through education and prevention.  One of the most important aspects of this project is the involvement of community; my thesi...

 Hello, again! It's been a while since I've written one of these--seems my life has settled back into its normal boring routine again after getting back from Colorado. My mind has not, though: I can't shake the feeling of being cooped up, and it's starting to affect me. Thus, it was time to get out and away from the LC Valley for some fresh air and new mountains.  I didn't plan on this last weekend being anything exciting...and it really wasn't, which was perfect. I got sick on Thursday morning with some sort of stomach flu that I like to call the "stress bug," which appears without fail near the end of every semester. When I get very stressed and burnt out, my body harbors it pretty well until everything comes crashing down and I get sick. Though I haven't been nearly as stressed as I have been in the past by this point in the year, I have been struggling with finances and preparing for the next step in my adult life, which is grad school. Additio...